K-9 Finds 695 Heroin Envelopes Stashed in Dashboard

Three people driving through Clarkstown—who police say had heroin hidden in the car—are facing felony drug charges. 

Police said they initially stopped the 1998 Dodge Stratus on the New York State Thruway for vehicle and traffic violations. 

Then a police dog named Marty searched the vehicle and alerted his partner to the heroin secreted in a dashboard panel and the center console, police said. The glassine envelopes were stamped with "5 Star" as the brand. 

The operator, Joshua Levine, age 36, of Margaretville, NY and the occupants, Debra Osborne, age 31, of Margaretville, NY and Charles Hall, age 41, of Saugerties, NY were found to possess more than 695 glassine envelopes of heroin and hypodermic syringes.  

The trio were charged with Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substances in the Third Degree, a class B felony,  and Possession of a Hypodermic Instrument, a class A misdemeanor. Levine was additionally charged with Driving While Ability Impaired by Drugs. 

On Feb. 17 the three subjects were arraigned before the Honorable Johns in the Town of Clarkstown court and were all sent to the Rockland County Jail. Levine was held with no bail, Hall was held on $35,000. cash/bond and Osborne was held on $10,000. cash/bond.

The heroin epidemic has infected the whole region. A 25-year-old Mahopac man died of an overdose in October 2013, after a handful of heroin-related deaths were reported some months earlier. Just last month three Westchester men died of suspected overdoses. The road to recovery is difficult, a 23-year-old recovering addict tells Patch.